Lignin Waste Industry - Regional Synopsis
North American Market Statistics
North America industry is anticipated to account for largest revenue share of 35% by 2037. The market growth is also expected on account of the increasing focus on switching to renewable energy sources in the region. According to the U.S. Energy Administration Information, 8.43 quadrillion energy is produced from renewable sources out of which 8.24 quads is consumed in 2023.
In the US, continuous innovations and research and development activities are taking place aiming to develop new applications and improve the quality of lignin waste. Lignin can be converted to advanced biofuels used for aviation or marine vessels. RenFuel provides the technology for bio-oil LIGNOL, which can be added to any crude or vegetable oil and after hydrotreating it in a refinery gives petrol, diesel, aviation, and marine fuels fully efficient like conventional fuels.
In Canada, lignin is recovered by dismantling and fractionation of residual wood, resulting in depolymerization to marketable products such as bio-jet fuel. This biofuel would benefit Canada economically as well as environmentally by avoiding greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Canada Energy Regulator, the total primary energy available to Canada from biomass is around 1,800 petajoules (PJ) per year.
APAC Market Analysis
The Asia Pacific region will also encounter huge growth for the lignin waste market during the forecast period and will hold the second position owing to the development of efficient processes for lignin waste valorization and increasing use of lignin in various sectors such as UV protection materials in this region.
Lignin is an excellent light absorber due to its phenolic structure. The absorbance of light in the UV-B range (280–320 nm) provides the potential for lignin to be used as a natural UV protective material. These UV protection films are biodegradable and renewable for various applications. According to a recent report, UV absorbance of 10 wt% lignin-SPF 15 sunscreen increased by more than 40%. Moreover, lignin microparticles from organic acid lignin as a UV absorber which is a significant SPF value increase in pure hand lotion from SPF 1 to 3.53 at 5 wt% dosage of lignin. Furthermore, the UVA/UVB ratio (0.690.72) for this lignin indicated that they exhibit superior properties.
The lignin waste market growth in Korea is attributed to the leading regional revenue due to the growing demand for lignin waste in the construction sector along with its use as animal feed. As per the latest report, feed production in South Korea amounted to around 21.5 million tons in 2023. Animal feed production in South Korea has increased slowly and exceeded 20 million tons for the first time in 2019 due to increased pig sows, breeding stocks, and the potential for calf production.
In China, increasing investments in the development of lignin-based products such as carbon fibers and 3D printing materials.
